China Landslide 2010: Latest Facts, News, Photos & Maps

Landslides triggered by rain on August 8, 2010 enveloped large areas in Zhouqu county, Gansu province of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The number of
people confirmed to have died after massive landslides in northwestern China has risen to 1,117, with 627 others missing, officials say.¹ Heavy rains triggered the landslide that wiped away large blocks of homes. The debris poured into a river and dammed
the waterway, causing it to flood and submerge parts of the area. Flooding across China this year has hit 28 provinces and is the worst in the country in a decade, according to the
government. More than a million homes have been damaged in the nation, and more than $30 billion in damage has been caused by the floods, the government said.² China's government is under growing pressure over the disaster after it emerged that there had been
repeated warnings of the dangers of landslides around Zhouqu following decades of mining, logging and damming rivers for hydroelectric power. A 2006 report by Lanzhou University warned
of the dangers presented by the destruction of the forests around Zhouqu for mining and agriculture, causing soil erosion and destabilizing hillsides.³